The Evolution of the Winter Medal
- Paulina Borowski
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
As an aspiring engineer, I am a sucker for a beautifully designed…something. Whether that be a building, a piece of machinery, or even an art installation, there is always some significance to each thing that has been created. As with that, as one of my favorite traditions every four years returns, the Winter Olympic Games, the medals every year tell a different story. Each crafted medal is designed with the significance of the hosting country and the story or message the designer wants to convey. Let’s take a look at, specifically, the Winter Olympic medals throughout the years.
History Of the Medals:
The medals for the first Winter Olympic Games debuted in Chamonix, France, in 1924. They were designed by Raoul Benard. The medals were 55mm in diameter and made of gilt silver for 1st place, silver for 2nd place, and bronze for 3rd place.
On the front, an athlete specializing in winter sports holds up a pair of skis and a pair of skates. On the back of the medal, an inscription describing the eighth modern Olympics organized by the French Olympic committee is etched in French, meaning:
"Chamonix Mont-Blanc Winter Sports 25 January – 5 February 1924 Organized by the French Olympic Committee under the high patronage of the International Olympic Committee on the occasion of the celebration of the VIII Olympiad.”
Medal designs for the Winter Games were required to be distinguishable from Summer Games.
In the middle of the 20th century, it featured a much different design. Paul-Andre Droz designed the medal in 1948, with a nod to the 1928 edition through the inclusion of six snow crystals around the iconic Olympic rings (which debuted in 1920). For the first time, the Olympic motto “CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS” (Faster, Higher, Stronger) is inscribed on the medals for an Olympic Winter Games. This one was 60mm and used the same materials for each podium standing.
Source: Olympics.com
From a design and significance standpoint, the Winter Games medal from 1972 was very different from previous ones, as the Winter Games were hosted in Sapporo, the first Winter Olympics to be held in Asia. Designers Yagi Kazumi and Ikko Tanaka made the medals for the occasion.
On the front of the medal, some lines are cast slightly in a wavy pattern to represent the soft, feathery snow, as well as the sharp, pointed ice, conveying the typical Japanese scene of peace and serenity. On the back, the inscription: “XI OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SAPPORO'72” (also inscribed in Japanese), and the official emblem and iconic rings of the Games are also present.
In 1992, at the end of the 20th century, the Winter Games were held in Turin. The Turin medals were designed by Dario Quatrini and the TOROC team. They featured a round shape with a hollow center to symbolize the Italian piazza, which is the heart of the community and life. On the front, it features graphic elements of the Games, while on the back, it highlights the sport's pictogram. It was one of the largest medals ever made for the Olympic Winter Games at 107 mm. These versions also featured 6 grams of gold for the 1st-place medal, silver for the 2nd-place medal, and bronze for the 3rd-place medal.
In the 21st century, the 2006 Winter Games were held in Turin. The Turin medals were designed by Dario Quatrini and the TOROC team. They featured a round shape with a hollow center to symbolize the Italian piazza which is the heart of community and life. On the front, it shows graphic elements of the Games while on the back it highlights the pictogram of the sport.
It was one of the largest medals ever made for the Olympic Winter Games at 107 mm. These versions also featured 6grams of gold within the 1st place medal, silver in the 2nd place, and bronze in the 3rd place.
Moving into the 21st century, the first Winter Games in the Republic of Korea, PyeongChang 2018, adopted a bold, textured design. Designed by Lee Sul-woo, medals feature diagonal lines on both sides of the medal. On the front the Olympic rings, on the back the event name, discipline, and the PyeongChang 2018 logo. On the thick edge of the medal, Hangeul (the Korean alphabet), was integrated into the design to symbolize the unity and determination of athletes. The metals were hung from a ribbon made of gapsa, a Korean fabric, embroidered with Hangeul. The metals were made with metal purity of 99.99% with the weight of each metal ranging from 490-590 grams (1.08-1.30 lbs).
Present Day Medals:
For the present day, for the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games 2026 the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato designed the metal within a combined shared creative vision of creating a vibrant, young, and dynamic energy of thoughts capable of expressing the need for transformation. The medals, in their design, feature two unique halves that come together to create a bold, unified medal. The dynamic graphic abstraction showing the union of two parts in constant motion was created to contrast a granular texture and a mirrored surface.
It only uses essential lines to express the ideas of union and movement. The medal’s symbolism comes from division representing ongoing change but then brought together by the Olympic and Paralympic values. The Olympic and Paralympic values seal the bond between the two halves. On the front, the medal has the aforementioned granular and mirrored halves with the Olympic rings in the center. On the back, the event name, discipline, the Milano Cortina 2026 logo, and the Games logo are engraved. On the edge, the inscription reads “The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026”.
However, for Paralympic medals, the event name and discipline are inscribed in braille on the medal. On the edge as well, etched notches indicate the placement medal: one etch for 1st, two for 2nd, three for 3rd. Celebrating the power of difference, the medal makes a bold, unified statement. Seeing how the designs reflect the historical significance of the time they were created really inspires me to maybe be the one to create a piece so timeless and honorable. For a medal is a symbol of strength, persistence, and bravery, capturing that in one single thing is difficult, but such a gift. Perhaps one day, I could make and/or design something such as these medals. May the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games 2026 show the unification of the world, only for a moment.
Seeing how the designs show different historical significance of the time they were created, really inspires me to maybe be the one to create a piece so timeless and so honorable. For a medal is a symbol of strength, persistence, and bravery, capturing that in one single thing is difficult but such a gift. Perhaps one day, I could make and/or design something such as these medals.
May the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games 2026 show the unification for all the world, only for a moment.
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